Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Astoria
Sitting alone in front of the fireplace in the Ravenclaw Common Room was Harry, with a beautiful blonde girl seeking comfort from him. If he were a pervert, he might have thought about her already well-developing pair of firm breasts or the fact that he had a beautiful girl in his arms and could feel her nice curves.
*Somewhere in Kuoh, Japan*
"Achoo!" sneezed a young boy with short spiky brown hair, two short locks of hair behind his head, and light brown eyes.
"Are you okay, Issei? You aren't getting ill, are you?" asked a boy with glasses sitting in class beside him.
"I am fine, Matsuda. Just a sneeze. Maybe someone is talking behind my back about me? Anyway, did you see Sensei's breasts? Aren't they amazing?" Issei asked with a perverse smile.
*Back in the Ravenclaw Tower*
No, Harry was different. He valued his friends and was genuinely concerned for them. His experiences with the Dursleys and his death had turned him into a person who placed a lot of importance on the family he chose himself. After all, his original relatives had caused him harm for years. So he was determined to find out what was going on and how he could help Daphne, one of his first friends outside of the Gremory House. She was someone who understood him the most, as she could relate to him through her noble upbringing.
"What is bad, Daphne? What is going on with you?" he asked worriedly, patting her back to comfort her.
"It's Astoria…" she sobbed out before her tears started again.
"Your younger sister? What's with her? Is she okay?" Harry continued to question, not stopping his efforts to comfort her.
"It's bad. The letter you were asking me about contained very bad news," she muttered with a downcast voice, still leaning into his shoulder, "To understand it, you need to know that a few generations ago, one of our ancestors was cursed by an enemy. We're not sure who is responsible for the curse, but it cost him his life."
"Okay, but what does it have to do with your younger sister?" Harry's brain raced to comprehend what she meant, and then he realized, "Wait… You can't mean?"
"Yes, it's the worst kind of curse. A blood curse, a blood malediction," Daphne replied solemnly, gripping his shirt tighter.
A blood malediction is one of the most severe curses someone could be afflicted with. While the Unforgivables have potent effects, they are not as cruel and vile as a blood curse from a purely humane perspective. Nor is a blood curse weaker than an Unforgivable. Based on the curse's effect, it grows stronger and more devastating with each generation. It may not kill instantly, but it often kills slowly and painfully, affecting not only the individual but also their descendants through their bloodline. This type of curse also affects future generations even more severely than the initial victim. There are various types of blood curses, which could turn one permanently into an animal, weaken one's health, cause chronic pain or a permanent itch, but all blood curses share the trait of being passed down through descendants, dormant even if not active.
From what Harry knew, casting a blood curse was not easy. It required a multitude of rare ingredients, most importantly the target's blood.
"What is it doing to her?" he asked, his concern deepening. This was an incredibly cruel fate for a child who hadn't even entered Hogwarts yet, to be affected by a curse that an ancestor had caught.
"It makes her extremely frail, weakening her health apparently," replied Daphne, still nuzzling into his chest. "I haven't seen her yet. It only activated after Hogwarts started. But apparently, she is constantly ill and weak right now."
"Shit. I am so sorry, Daphne," Harry said sadly, unsure if he could do anything to help. The only known method to break a blood curse was for the caster or one of their descendants to break it, usually with conditions tied to the casting of the curse. There might be other possibilities, but Hogwarts Library had limited information on this esoteric topic, as it was also considered dark magic. Such knowledge was likely kept within powerful families and not widely shared.
Perhaps the Nott family library held information on this, but to access that knowledge, Harry had to fulfill his part of the deal by killing Theodore's father. The Notts were an ancient family, and it was highly likely they possessed information about actual blood curses. Just learning the method to cast one would be a solid start for his research.
There might be information in the Underworld as well, but Harry wasn't sure if they had a cure for it. The Devil's Sleep Disease was quite similar to a blood curse, except it couldn't be passed on because the target was asleep when affected. This theory had been shared in the Underworld, and so far, a cure hadn't been found.
"How is your family handling the situation?" Harry asked thoughtfully, suspecting what they might be doing.
"They are traveling from hospital to hospital, from expert to expert, trying to find some form of cure. That's why they are in the US right now, seeking help from hospitals there," Daphne explained, still sad but calmer now, warmed by Harry's presence. "They are even considering marriage contracts to gain access to the libraries of other old families. One of the options they're considering is the Black family, but unfortunately, the current heir is in Azkaban and much older than me. And the unconfirmed next in line is Malfoy."
Hearing this, Harry could only shake his head. He understood the desperation that made people consider such measures, and he was sure Daphne would do anything to help her sister.
"I will also try my best to help Astoria," Harry decided with a determined nod. Yes, he was a devil and could make a deal, but he felt that, first of all, he had no assurance he could find a way to break a blood curse. Secondly, Daphne was his friend, and exploiting her emotional state for a deal didn't feel right. Especially if he succeeded, she might feel indebted to him in a way that would affect their friendship. "I will try to get in touch with some other magical experts and doctors. Maybe I have access to resources your family doesn't."
"Thank you, Harry. I don't know what I would do if something were to happen to Astoria," Daphne muttered, still leaning into him. They remained in this comforting embrace for a while, not speaking but finding solace in each other's presence.
It was only when the door to the common room opened that they quickly moved away from each other. Ginny returned from spending time with her brothers and saw the two second-years on the sofa in front of the fireplace, their faces flushed. 'Maybe the fire is too warm?' Ginny thought before joining them to engage in conversation.
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